Gas Street Basin

David and I took the train to Derby today (should have been East Midlands Parkway but there was a strike!) and then took a bus to the railway station. The Festival site was right by the station, so it was just a short walk. David his editor, Chris, at Canals and Rivers. The current issue has a photograph on the front that David took at the DEFRA cuts protest in Birmingham a couple of years ago, and we didn't know who the guy was. While we were at the stand, a lady came up and said "That's my husband". It is Dusty Miller the canal artist. Of course, we can see it is now!

We went around the stalls, but saw nothing new or anything we needed. Met some old friends, got an order for some Christmas Cards and David took lots of photos. Two hours later we were on the bus back to Derby and back home in plenty of time for the football.

I have been making cards for three competitions, so I am a bit overloaded with half ideas and samples. So here is something I made without thinking.

I used three of my new Nestabilities dies cutting out white, pink and gold card and then matting them. Finally I added a sparkly gold 65. A birthday card, or even an anniversary card maybe?

Gas Street Basin

We've been graffitied! Someone snook in and left us this "masterpiece" Maybe, one day, it will be worth as much as a Banksy. But I doubt it. And anyway, Graham says a chisel will remove it.

The nights have started drawing in and there is definitely a chill in the air. We even had to light a fire on Wednesday. I guess Summer isn't going to arrive after all.

Must be time to go off on another cruise. We have only done the Llangollen in early Spring (3 times now), so thought we might like to see it in the Autumn (never the Summer - too busy!). We also have a wedding to go to near Liverpool and the hosts are running a bus to the venue from Albert Dock - so here is the perfect excuse to take the boat down through the new link. Hopefully we will set off early next week after Sandy has looked at the engine for us.

Tomorrow we are off to the IWA National Festival and Boat Show and the train company has got a strike on its hands. Does it only happen to us?

I made this card using a fridge magnet of the three Disney princesses. I cut some pink card with fancy scissors and wrapped some pale blue ribbon around it, tying it in a knot. I stuck the magnet down with glue dots and then added a pink heart gem. Finally fixing it all to a white card blank.

Gas Street Basin

Got into trouble the other day for not blogging.

So, I am very sorry, but it has been a bit of the same old, same old! You know, lots of boats and people passing through, lots of drunks jumping the lock or just jumping in (including from the balcony of the Walkabout!).

The Portsmouth football team passed by on Saturday, Shifali did her weather spot for BBC Midlands Today from the pontoon and the BBC Antiques Road Show didn't film from Mr David.

Mr David was racing at York last week - came 4th I think!!! Fortunately we didn't have the housekeeping on him.

Then.... we get something completlely different. A gondola!!! causing havoc with all the boats and trip boats. I have no idea what it was all about and the gondoleers sounded very un-Italian. I think it might have been advertising a new Italian restaurant in Brindleyplace, but there was nothing on the boat to indicate this.

Oh! and we also had two fishermen fishing by the bollards having walked past the sign saying PRIVATE. Still, at least they kept the geese off the landing all day. There is almost 1/2" of crap over it at the moment.






I have been very productive, card-wise, lately. This is why I am showing you an older one. A Jolly Nation decoupage.

I started with a blue card base and added some wavy blue paper for the sea and some handmade yellow paper for the sun and sand and then just added the dude once he had been cut out and assembled.

Gas Street Basin

We are going to get a new library in Birmingham. The old one (a 60's type monstrosity) isn't good enough. Anyway the foundations are just being dug and they have come across the old canal route.

You can clearly see the brick walls, and the people in hard hats and dayglo jackets are archaeologists.

The route of this canal seems to come from the BCN probably from what is left of the little arm between the Malthouse pub and the ICC and through the REP theatre. It then heads towards Baskerville House. There would have been a lock somewhere, but whether that would have been the larged inland lock we are not sure.

So! To celebrate the new football season a football card. Haven't made a Walsall one before.

I started off with two 5x7" cards and stuck them together to make a tri-fold card. From the Walsall Football Team website I found their badge and using the computer I took the badge and created the backing paper in Word and the sentiments using the Bend it font.
I also made made 3 more copies of the badge and decoupaged it.

On another web site I found historical football kits here and used the 2009 kit and also the 2000 kit (the year that George was born) and decoupaged these too, matting them onto gold and red.

The last page is matted in 4 layers - sentiment, backing paper, gold paper and red card.

Gas Street Basin

We saw this boat earlier this year on the Shroppie. It must have the biggest fender on the cut.

Anyway, when we were travelling back from the boatyard last week we saw it again moored up near Cadbury's.

Yesterday evening, when I got back from my stroll around the "bay" we had visitors. Sue and Gail. Gail used to run the hotelboat Katie but has since moved on land and lives in South Shields. It was lovely to see her and catch up on all the news. It also gave David a chance to show off our new "house wine" - Chateau David.

David has had a bad day. England were all out and lost the cricket match in the morning and then having been invited to Caroline and Curtis to watch the Charity Shield on their big screen in HD, United managed to lose that too. Not helped by Curtis being one of the ACBMU Club.

I made this card years ago, don't know why I have not uploaded it before.

It was made for Tessa, who used to moor here and she has been gone for about 18 months now!

I used a large card base and put a strip of floral paper top and bottom and a strip of peel-off along the joins. Then I made a cone with some white paper and added blue and white silk flowers and a pink and a blue feather fixing them with a sticky dot in the bottom of the cone. A small blue bow covers the bottom of the paper cone.

To finish off I printed off the Happy Birthday sentiment onto vellum and wrapped it around the front of the card.

I wasn't too sure about the 60, and after taking advice it was removed and a couple of butterflies were added.

Gas Street Moorings

Walking back from the Doctor's surgery this afternoon I came across this flower trough in Brindleyplace. The picture doesn't make it clear, but it is a representation of a narrowboat and is part of the floral trail which winds from The Mailbox to the Jewelery Quarter.

I also noticed on my stroll today that all the boats have disappeared. There were lots of mooring spaces about. Where have all the boats gone?

Got the bill for the engine mountings and cooling pipes. We will have to take out a mortgage, or go out on the streets....


Pam is a very elegant lady and is just celebrating for 61st birthday - like me - though I would never say that I was elegant.
So I made her this card from a Kanaban diecut card set. The set came with 3 ladies and some backing paper, and, I think, one decorated card blank. I fixed the panel with sticky fixers onto a DL blank card after cutting off a bit on the right hand side. I added a border to the back of the card blank on the inside right hand and a red ribbon on the spine on the left. Finally, 6 red glittery gems were added on the right hand side of the panel. The picture does not show how the silvery bits are all glittery, but I'm sure you get the gist. Her name and age were added with silver peel-offs.

Finally, I made an insert and added one of the sentiments that came with the pack.

Gas Street Basin

Granny Buttons here has written about this boat twice. I actually saw it today, though it wasn't there when I went past yesterday - or perhaps the camouflage really is working.

Can you see it?

No. Still can't see it.

Mike, who is driving the boat is so embarrassed that he stipulated he would only steer the boat if his photos were not used in the publicity. So they got someone else in to do it. So he's lost his chance of any fame this time.

There are still masses of boats around. So many, in fact, they are having to moor past all the official mooring places and are now on spikes past St Vincent's Bridge.

I have been trying to set up a slide show with all my Waterways cards which are for sale, but I haven't managed it yet. Flikr keeps telling me I don't have an account when I go through the slide programme. Very frustrating.

Finally, a decoupaged rose matted onto gold mirri card and a peel-off Happy Birthday.

Gas Street Basin

I hope he is referring to owning the boat rather than his wife.

On Friday the engine was finally returned to its space, with new mountings and aligned properly with the prop, new cooling pipes were replaced and the other odd things that needed doing could wait. So we were off. David gets claustrophobic in boatyards and couldn't wait to get away - we didn't even wait for the bill, just left the credit card number.

Back in Birmingham it was more like Sydney. The city is full of cricket lovers come for the 3rd Ashes match. Consequently, because it rained all day yesterday, they had nowhere to go but to the pubs. At one point there were about 100 playing cricket by the lock using oranges for balls.

Today, all the moorings (except on the moorings in the Basin 'cos several boats are away for their holidays) are full to bursting. Usually Wednesday is the busiest night of the week when all the hire boats seem to get into Birmingham. But not tonight.

I spent most of the time at the boatyard making cards with canal scenes and managed to sell 20 to Sarah for resale through her shop. Result!


This card was made for Bruno, who is living on Calstock. It was for the 25th wedding anniversary of the owners.

This is a photo of a very colourful bow flare .

Still on the detail theme. The tiller end of a butty.

And finally, yet another gaily painted tiller arm.